Declaration of a birth

Pursuant to the Civil Code of Québec, any birth that takes place in Québec must be declared to the Directeur de l'état civil. You can declare the birth of a child by completing the paper Declaration of Birth form or by using the online Electronic Declaration of Birth service. You have 30 days to do so at no cost.

The information collected on the declaration will be used to enter the child's birth in the Québec register of civil status. Once the birth is registered, it is possible to establish the child’s identity and filiation, to access various programs and services, and to obtain a certificate or
a copy of an act of birth.

Once the declaration of birth is signed and dated by the registrar of civil status, it becomes the child's official act of birth. Therefore, it is important to make sure that no error is made in completing the declaration and that all the information requested is entered.

Important

If you want to change your child's surname or given names after the birth has been entered in the Québec register of civil status, you must submit an application for a change of name unless it is demonstrated that an error was made when registering the birth. For more information, see the directive Correction d'une erreur purement matérielle (PDF, 40,3 Ko)

A change of name is granted solely for a serious reason, and a fee is payable.

According to the Act instituting civil unions and establishing new rules of filiation, a child’s parents can be of the opposite sex or the same sex.

Attestation of birth

The physician or midwife completes the Constat de naissance (attestation of birth) form. The staff at the health institution or birth centre will provide you with a copy of the attestation and send the original to the Directeur de l'état civil.

How to declare a birth?

Regardless of your choice, the staff at the health institution or birth centre must provide you with your copy of the attestation of birth completed by the physician or the midwife. The staff must also submit the original of the attestation of birth to the Directeur de l'état civil without delay.

Paper declaration of birth

If you choose not to use the online service to declare the birth of your child, you must complete the paper declaration of birth provided by the staff at the health institution or birth centre.

It is preferable to leave the completed and signed declaration with the staff at the health institution or birth centre before your departure. The staff will see that it is forwarded to the Directeur de l’état civil with the attestation of birth.

Electronic declaration of birth

If you prefer, you can complete the declaration of birth electronically when you return home, instead of completing the paper form.

have your copy of the Constat de naissance(Attestation of Birth) form provided by the staff at the health institution or birth centre;

have an identifier for the government’s authentication service, clicSÉQUR. If you made an online application for benefits under the Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP), you can use the same clicSÉQUR ID. Otherwise, you can obtain an identifier when you access this online service, provided you filed a tax return the previous year. If you are not married or in a civil union with the other parent and that parent is declared, he or she must also have a clicSÉQUR ID in order to complete the electronic declaration of birth. The clicSÉQUR ID replaces the handwritten signature of the parent;

have a valid Visa card or MasterCard for payment of the fees, if you apply for a certificate or a copy of an act of birth when you complete the declaration of birth.

If you prefer to declare the birth of your child using the paper form, you must contact the Directeur de l'état civil to obtain a copy of it.

Parents who are married or in a civil union

Either parent may complete and sign the declaration of birth. However, it is important for the parent who declares the birth to enter all of the information concerning the child's other parent so that filiation with the child is established.

Please note that only the biological mother can give certain consents in the Application for Simplified Access to Birth-related Government Programs and Services section, whether the paper form is completed or the online service is used.

Parents who are not married or in a civil union

Both parents must complete and sign the declaration of birth so that filiation with the child can be established.

If one of the parents does not sign the declaration of birth, filiation with the child will not be established, and that parent's information will not appear on the child's act of birth, even if it is entered on the declaration of birth.

Please note that only the biological mother can give certain consents in the Application for Simplified Access to Birth-related Government Programs and Services section, whether the paper form is completed or the online service is used.

Language of the act and issuing of civil status documents

If you complete the paper declaration of birth, make sure that you do so in the language of your choice, i.e. French or English. As for the Electronic Declaration of Birth online service, you must select the language yourself by answering a question.

The certificate or the copy of the act issued in respect of an act is in the same language as the act.

Deadline for transmitting the declaration

You have 30 days following the birth of your child to transmit the declaration of birth to the Directeur de l'état civil. The deadline is the same for the paper and electronic declarations.

A declaration of birth transmitted after that deadline entails payment of the applicable fees. For information on the fees for the late registration of a birth, see
Processing fees and turnaround.

If you choose to complete the paper declaration of birth, it is preferable to leave the completed and signed declaration with the staff at the health institution or birth centre before you return home; they will make sure that it is forwarded with the attestation of birth to the Directeur de l'état civil within the required time period.

Parents who were unable to leave the completed and signed declaration with the staff at the health institution or birth centre are responsible for submitting it themselves to the Directeur de l'état civil within the required time period. Otherwise, fees will apply.

Child's surname

Your child can have a single or compound surname. The child's surname may not have more than two parts, which must be derived from your surnames.

If you, the parents, each have a single surname, your child may be given either of your surnames, or both, preferably joined by a hyphen.

Example

If one parent's surname is Beaulieu and the other's is Lajoie, the child's family name may be Beaulieu, Lajoie, Beaulieu-Lajoie or Lajoie-Beaulieu.

If you both have compound surnames, you may, if you wish, give your child a single surname derived from one of your surnames. If you want to give your child a compound name, you must make a choice, because the child's surname can be composed of only two parts. It is preferable to join the two parts with a hyphen.

Example

The child of Jean Gagnon-Beaulieu and Marie Bouchard-Lajoie may be given the surname Gagnon, Beaulieu, Lajoie, Bouchard, Beaulieu-Lajoie, Gagnon-Bouchard, Gagnon-Beaulieu, Bouchard-Lajoie or any other combination that the parents choose.

The surname may not contain a number or an initial.

If the child's maternal or paternal filiation alone is established, the child will bear all or part of the surname of the parent whose name is declared on the
Declaration of
Birth
.

Child's given names

Your child's usual given name is the name that, in addition to being in the act of birth, will be used on a daily basis to
identify the child. In addition to the usual given name, you can give your child other given names. However, it is recommended to limit the number of given names to four.

If one of the given names is a compound name, it is preferable for the two parts to be joined by a hyphen.

The spelling of the given names entered in the Québec register of civil status is the spelling used
on the Declaration of Birth.

Application for Simplified Access to Birth-related Government Programs and Services

The Application for Simplified Access to Birth-related Government Programs and Services will allow you to, among other things, give your consent to the Directeur de l’état civil to
communicate to the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec, the Régie des rentes du Québec, the ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, the Canada Revenue Agency,
Service Canada and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada the birth-related information that will enable you, in a single operation, to take advantage of the birth-related programs and services they
offer. The Directeur de l'état civil has entered into agreements authorizing it to communicate birth-related information to them.
These agreements specify procedures that comply with the applicable legislation, in particular concerning the protection of personal information.

This form is inserted in the paper declaration of birth or included with the Electronic Declaration of Birth online service.

Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec

The Directeur de l'état civil will communicate to the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec
the information
required to automatically apply for your child's health insurance
card. After verifying your child's eligibility, the Régie will issue you his or her health insurance card.

Régie des rentes du Québec

The Directeur de l'état civil
will
communicate to the Régie des rentes du Québec
the information required for automatic registration for child
assistance payments. In addition, by completing the appropriate section of the form, the payments will be deposited directly into your account.

Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale

You can give your consent for the Directeur de l'état civil to
communicate to the ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale your social insurance number and
the information required so that you do not have to provide your
child's birth certificate when applying for benefits under the
Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP).

Canada Revenue Agency

You can give your consent for the Directeur de l'état civil
to communicate to the Canada Revenue Agency the information required
for automatic registration for the Canada Child Tax Benefit, the
Universal Child Care Benefit and the GST/HST credit, as well as for
any related provincial or territorial programs administered by the
Agency. In addition. by completing the appropriate section of the form, you can
apply to receive payments of the Canada Child Tax Benefit, the
Universal Child Care Benefit and the GST/HST credit by direct
deposit.

For more information about the child benefit programs administered
by the Agency, visit the website of the
Canada Revenue Agency .

Service Canada

You can give your consent for the Directeur de l'état civil to
communicate to Service Canada the information required to
automatically apply for your child’s social insurance number. That way, you will receive
your child's social insurance number without having to take any other
steps.

For more information about the social insurance number, visit the
website of Service Canada .

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada

You can give your consent for the Directeur de l'état civil
to communicate to Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
the information required so that you do not have to provide your
child's birth certificate when registering the child in the Indian
Register, pursuant to the Indian Act.

Certificate and copy of an act of birth

If you use the Electronic Declaration of Birth online service, you can apply for a certificate or a copy of an act of birth in the child’s name at a reduced rate, while eliminating the delay associated with sending an application by mail.

Attestation

Simplify the steps you can take with a My Québec Services Account

My Québec Services Account , available through the Gouvernement du Québec portal or directly on the Internet, is a secure online space aimed at facilitating the steps you can take with Québec government departments or agencies at the time of a particular life event. For instance, you can complete the “Becoming a Parent” questionnaire and obtain a personalized list of steps enabling you to benefit from government programs and services when your child is born. You can then save your personalized list of steps and enter deadlines and personal notes for follow-up.

Information for health institutions and birth centres

The Directeur de l'état civil has published a directive for health institutions and birth centres, indicating certain conditions for using the online Electronic Declaration of Birth service and for completing the paper Declaration of Birth form (DEC1).